Variable multiple head



March 18, 1952 M. H. EMRICK VARIABLE MULTIPLE HEAD Filed June 5, 1948 'lllllllll l INVENTOR MELVIN H. EMRICK 3 ATTORN EY Patented Mar. 18, 1952 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE VARIABLE- MULTIPLE HEAD Melvin H. Emri ck', Jamaica, N; Y.

Application June -5, 1948, Serial No. 31,252

4 Claims. (01. 74--e65;)

This invention relates to a variable multiple head, otherwise known as a multiple tapping device wherein a plur-ality-of-tools are simultaneously operated atone time in drilling, tapping or performing other operations on a workpiece. More particularly, the invention deals with an adjustable device of this kind wherein each tool operating member constitutes part of a unit wherein the membero-f said unit is rotatably adjustable about afixed driving shaft, and wherein a series of the units are arranged in-closely nested relationship to each other, whereby the tool operating members can be positioned oversubs'tantially the entire area governed by the boundaries of rotation of each member of the unit with respect to its drive axis. I

The novel features ofthe invention will be best understood from the following descriptions when taken together wit-hthe accompanying drawing, in which certain embodiments of the invention are disclosed, and in which the separate parts are designated by suitable reference characters in each of the views; and in which:

Fig. 1 is a sectional plan viewo-f a device made according to my invention, the section being substantially on the line II of Fig. 2.; and v Fig. .2 is .a broken section, roughly on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1, showing only one unit of the device and omitting illustration of the other units for purpose of simplification in the showing.

In devices of the type and kindunder consideration, which are generally classified as multiple tapping attachments, it ,-has been-customaryto provide attachments wherein the tool op-- erating member of each unit of the attachment had. a limited range of positioningso that the positioning of the tooloperating member withrespect to a workpiece was limited,--thus making it necessary to employ, in a shop, a number of devices of this kind in order to be able to meet varying conditions that would prevail from time to time in drilling and tapping, or in performing other operations in a workpiece.

The purpose of my invention is" to provide a device of the kind under consideration which may be said to provide a substantially universal adjustment of tools or tool operating members, so as to position the same at anyidesired location on a workpiece within the area of adjustment provided by the size of the device employed.

In accomplishing this result, the deviceismade up of a multiplicity of adjustable units, each unit having two distinct phases of adjustment, That is to say, the adjustment of an idler shaft around a drive shaft .fixed in thecasingof the device, and the adjustment of a tool operating member around said idler shaft, thereby enabling the members of each unit to be positioned in any given a1i-nement, or in any other staggered relationship with respect to each other within a range governed only by the radius defined between the axes of the drive shaft and idler shaft and that of the tool operating member, the latter being further controlled by positioning of the drive axes of each unit in the casing of the device.

In Fig. 2 of the drawing, I'have indicated at I0,-.part of'an adaptor head employed for mounting and actuating devices ll of the general type and kind under consideration. The device ll comprises a casing having upper and lower case parts l2 and I3. Suitably supported in these case parts in .bearings It and l 5, is a main drive shaft 16 of the device, which has an upwardly extending hexagon or other end ll for coupling with the drive .of the adaptor it, as is known in device'sof this type and kind.

On the shaft I6, within the casing II, is a drive pinion 18,- adapted to .drive a series of idler gears 19, Zli'and 2!, mounted on shafts 22, 23 and-24 fixed in the casing H. This gearing is adapted to drive three independent adjustable units, generally identified by the reference characters 25, 26 and 2?. In that each unit is identical in construction, the same references will be applied to the respective units, and primed, as seen in Fig. 1.- In order to simplify the illustration, only one of the units is shown in Fig. 2.

Each unit comprises a shaft 28, 28 and 28", which will define the drive shaft of the unit, and is mounted or fixed in the casing l l and fixed to the .shaft'is .a double faced pinion 29, 29 and 29", the upper face of the pinion meshing with the gears 19, Zt'and 25' respectively, as clearly seen in Fig. l. Thelower face of the pinion l9, l9 and 19" mesh with another double faced gear 39, 30 and 36" mounted on an idler bolt shaft 31,3!" andBl".

As clearly seen in Fig, .2 of the drawing, the upper gear'face of the gears 39, 353 and to" mesh with the lower gear face of said first named double faced gears. Whereas, the lower gear face of the gears 38, .38 and 3&3. mesh with pinions 32, 32 and 32" on tool supporting members 33, 33 and 33".. in that the remainder of the units 25, 26 and} isfs'hown only of the unit 25, in Fig. 2, this. mechanism will .be limited to the unit 25, but it will be understood that similar mechanism is employed in conjunction with each of the re spective unitsr v Rotatably mounted in the lower part l3 of the casing I2, is a flanged disc 34 having a large central aperture through which the shaft 28 and the double faced gear 29 is free to pass. The disc 34 has the shaft bolt 3| coupled therewith, at a predetermined distance with respect to the axis 28. The disc 34 protrudes through the lower face of the bottom part |3 of the casing, and mounted on the disc and seating on the casing is a gear housing 36 in which the shaft 28 has a bearing.

At one side of the housing is a large aperture 31 in which is fitted another gear housing 38, in which the tool operating member 33 is supported. The housing 38 has at its inner end, a thrust bearing 39 for support of the inner end of the member, and also includes a roller bearing 48 for free rotation of the member 33 therein. Below the housing 38 is another housing 4| having a bearing 42 for the member 33 and also apertured, as seen at 43, to receive the lower threaded end of the bolt shaft 3|.

From the foregoing, it will appear that the upper head end 44 of the bolt shaft 3| seats upon the flanged disc 34. A split nut 45 is mounted on the lower end of the bolt shaft 3| to retain the housings 36, 38 and 4| in coupled relationship with each other and with the disc 34 and the casing H or the lower part l3 thereof.

This securing of the parts together is sufiicient to hold said parts in assembled relationship While permitting rotary adjustment of the parts one with respect to the other in the manner later described. When the member 33 has been brought into the desired position, the parts are secured together by a clamp nut 43, preferably of the type having a socket 41 for the reception of the tightening screw.

In adjusting each of the units, the nut 46 is loosened and the bolt shaft 3| can then be freely rotated around the axis of the drive shaft 23 of the unit and the tool supporting member 33 can also be rotatably adjusted around the bolt shaft 3|, thereby the member 32 can be positioned in any desired position with respect to the greatest radial distance between the combined axes 28. 3| and 33, and within the field covered by this greatest distance. It will thus be understood that by positioning the shafts 28 in the casing H, in the closely nested relationship shown, the tools of the three units can operate within what may be termed a three clover-leaf field defined by the mechanism adjustment of the members 33, 33' and 33". V

In the accompanying drawing, as seen in Fig. 1, the various units have been adjusted so as to bring the members 33, 33 and 33" in the straight alinement shown. That is, perpendicularly straight, as appearing in the drawing, with all of the members disposed at one side of, and to the right of the primary drive shaft I3. This particular illustration has been shown, as it is one of the difiicult adjustments to be provided. It will be understood, however, that the members 33 can be brought into as close a relationship to each other as will be possible by the structure of the supporting parts or housings of the respective units.

From a standpoint of description, the bolt shafts of each unit may be characterized as idlers of the gear shown in each unit, and thus considered, the idlers are rotated about the drive axis of the unit while the tool members rotate about the axis of the idlers.

In devices or apparatus of the kind under con- V sideration, the adaptors H] are, usuallymounted for sliding movement on guide rods or tubes 48 passing through bearing portions 49 on the adaptor and as seen in Fig. 2 of the drawing, the bearing portions 49 may include parts 49 engaging the peripheral recess 50 of the casing Also secured in the recess 50 of the casing H, are other bearings, one of which is shown at 5|, in Fig. 2 of the drawing, and two of which are indicated in Fig. 1. These latter bearings 5| support rods 52 which in turn support templets 53 which guide the setting of the tool supporting members 33 or the housings 4| thereof with respect to the resulting workpiece. In other words, a templet plate 53 will be accurately formed to position the various members 33, 33 and-33", one with respect to the other. The setting of said tool supporting members is thus materially simplified. The plate 53 has other apertures 54 provided therein in registering alinement with the sockets 41 of the nuts 46 to facilitate clamping the various units in adjusted position.

In other words, a shop having one of the multiple adjustable devices can adapt this device to perform many drilling, tapping or other operations on a workpiece within the range of adjustment as aforesaid, by simply constructing templet plates 53 to suit the different jobs or operations to be performed. Thus, a single device may be utilized to perform many operations in multiple drilling, tapping or the like.

It will, of course, be understood that device of this type and kind can be made in different sizes and also with a different arrangement of fixed axes of drive, that is, the axes 28, 28 and 28". Certain shops having work of a particular type and character may require settings of these axis centers on different positions on the device to be more suitable for the particular type and kind of work in connection with which the device is employed. The accompanying illustration is shown to illustrate the closely, and what may be termed, the closely huddled arrangement of the units. From this can be produced a greater wide spread of units and a greater number of units can be employed.

Having fully described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In variable multiple heads of the character described, a casing including an integral bottom wall, a main drive shaft having afixed position in the casing, a plurality of tool operating units, means for simultaneously driving all of the units from said main drive shaft, each unit comprising a supplemental drive shaft having a fixed position in the casing, a flanged disc rotatably adjustable in and supported by said bottom wall of the casing, the flange of said disc seating on said bottom wall, an idler shaft mounted in said disc and adjusted around the axis of the supplemental drive shaft by said disc, a tool supporting member rotatably adjustable around the idler shaft, a gear train on said shafts and member for operating said member, each unit comprising a housing rotatable about the supplemental drive shaft of the unit and another two-part housing rotatable about, said idler shaft, means on said idler shaft engaging said last named housing for retaining the housings and disc in assembled relationship with each other and with the casing, and other means on said idler shaft engaging said last named housing independently of thelast named engagement with the casing in retaining the tool supporting member in a fixed position of adjustment.

2. In variable multiple heads of the character described, a casing including an integral bottom wall, a main drive shaft having a fixed position in the casing, a plurality of tool operating units, means for simultaneously driving all of the units from said main drive shaft, each unit comprising a supplemental drive shaft having a fixed position in the casing, a flanged disc rotatably adjustable in and supported by said bottom Wall of the easing, an idler shaft mounted in said disc and adjusted around the axis of the supplemental drive shaft by said disc, a tool supporting member rotatably adjustable around the idler shaft, a gear train on said shafts and member for operating said member, each unit comprising a housing rotatable about the supplemental drive shaft of the unit and another two-part housing rotatable about said idler shaft, means on said idler shaft retaining the housings and disc in assembled relationship with each other and with the casing, other means on said idler shaft for fixing said housings and disc in firm engagement with the casing in retaining the tool supporting member in a fixed position of adjustment, said disc protruding through the bottom of said casing, and said first named housing being rotatably adjustable on the protruding portion of said disc.

3. In variable multiple heads of the character described, a casing including an integral bottom wall, a main drive shaft having a fixed position in the casing, a plurality of tool operating units, means for simultaneously drivin all of the units from said main drive shaft, each unit comprising a supplemental drive shaft having a fixed position in the casing, a flanged disc rotatably adjustable in and supported by said bottom wall of the casing, an idler shaft mounted in said disc and adjusted around the axis of the supplemental drive shaft by said disc, a tool supporting member rotatably adjustable around the idler shaft, a gear train on said shafts and member for operating said member, each unit comprising a housing rotatable about the supplemental drive shaft of the unit and another two-part housing rotatable about said idler shaft, means on said idler shaft retaining the housings and disc in assembled relationship with each other and with the casing, other mean on said idler shaft for fixing said housings and disc in firm engagement with the casing in retaining the tool supporting member in a fixed position of adjustment, said disc protruding through the bottom of said casing, said first named housing being rotatably adjustable on the protruding portion of said disc, and one part of the second named housing extending into and having a bearing in said first named housing.

4. In variable multiple heads of the character described, a casing including an integral bottom wall, a main drive shaft having a fixed position in the casing, a plurality of tool operating units, means for simultaneously driving all of the units from said main drive shaft, each unit comprising a supplemental drive shaft having a fixed position in the casing, a flanged disc rotatably adjustable in and supported by said bottom wall of the casing, an idler shaft mounted in said disc and adjusted around the axis of the supplemental drive shaft by said disc, a tool supporting member rotatably adjustable around the idler shaft, a gear train on said shafts and member for operating said member, each unit comprising a housing rotatable about the supplemental drive shaft of the unit and another two-part housing rotatable about said idler shaft, means on said idler shaft retaining the housings and disc in assembled relationship with each other and with the casing, other means on said idler shaft for fixing said housings and disc in firm engagement with th casing in retaining the tool supporting member in a fixed position of adjustment, said disc protruding through the bottom of said casing, said first named housing being rotatably adjustable on the protruding portion of said disc, one part of the second named housing extending into and having a bearing in said first named housing, a roller bearing for the tool supporting member in each part of the second housing, and a thrustbearing for said member in one of the housing parts.

MELVIN H. EMRICK.

CBS CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,449,164 Buhr Mar. 20, 1923 1,896,659 Trotter Feb. 7, 1933 2,102,098 Sickles Dec. 14, 1937 2,245,751 Blackmore June 14, 1937 2,349,249 Aiman May 23, 1944 2,441,722 Schultz May 18, 1948 2,446,030 Tunnard-Moore July 27, 1948 2,484,458 Modrey Oct. 11, 1949 

